Slipper



SePt- 23, 1947. c. F. SCHULTE -2,427,882

SLIPPER Filed Aug' 18, 1944 y gri/Umm mj WW Patented Sept. 23, 1947 UNITED .STATES sitlrrnit` charles F. schulte,- Calamus-,annie ApplicationAugust` 18, 1944, .Serial No. 550,034

2 Claims.

'My invention relates to, an-improvedrbural slipper and is particularly concerned with the production of an article of footwear which is of such construction that it will readily fit the foot of a deceased person.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a burial slipper which is made of materials of such nature and so related that the slipper may be stretched to fit wide ranges of sizes and shapes of the human foot.

A slipper of this general category has been set forth in my prior Patent No. 2,215,135, dated September 17, 1940, wherein the sole and upper of the slipper were formed from a fabric interlaced throughout the entire area thereof with rubber threads or cords, thereby imparting insole elasticity to both sole and upper. Under present day conditions, due to the requirement of considerable quantities of rubber in the manufacture of such a fabric, it is virtually impossible to obtain the same and, therefore, it is another object of the invention to provide a burial slipper in which the sole and upper are formed from fabric materials which, through stitching, are shirred or gathered to provide inherently a considerable degree of elasticity the fore part of the upper being terminated in overlapping ties which are joined by an elastic tape positioned in a hem provided around th'e top edge of the upper, the construction providing a freely expansible slipper capable of readily conforming with the shape 'of the human foot and yet will require but a minimum of elastic material in its fabrication.

For a further understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a slipper made according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational View, partly in vertical section, of the slipper;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View disclosing the elastic strip employed in uniting the vamp ties of the slipper.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, my improved burial slipper comprises a shaped outsole 5 which preferably comprises one or more layers of fabric. The marginal edges of said outsole are united by stitching 6, extending completely around said marginal edges to a fabric upper l. The same stitching may be employed to unite with the outsole a superposed layer 8 of soft cotton felting and an insole 9 may be placed on the felt layer 8 and retained in position thereon by the use of an adhesive. The insole may be `2 formedlfrom any fabricmateialand is' preferably free fromconnectionwith' the stitching.

The upper is formed from a lightweight attractive fabric, such as silk chiffon, crepe or velvet and the counter and instep regions I0 and II at their forward edges are sticthed along their lower portions only as at I2 to the vamp I3. The vamp is shirred or gathered, as indicated at I4, around the lower marginal region thereof in order to provide for a considerable degree of elasticity or stretch of the same thus adapting the slipper to feet of varying sizes. Also, th'e vamp ls shaped to provide a pair of overlapping adjustable eX- tension elements I5, which have their ends connected as at I8 to a short length of elastic tape I6, the latter being concealed in a hem Il provided in the top edges of the counter and instep portions I0 and Il of the upper.

Consideration of this construction will disclose that a very considerable degree of latitude is provided in the matter of allowing the upper of the slipper to expand from its normally contracted state in all directions so that the slipper may readily conform to th'e peculiarities of human feet of various sizes and congurations. The slipper is formed from materials so arranged as to present externally an attractive appearance and, moreover, the manufacturing cost thereof is very moderate. The fact that the slipper is so readily stretchable permits a mortician to carry but a limited number of sizes of slippers in stocl; in complying with the footwear requirements of deceased persons.

While I have described the slipper as being particularly applicable for burial purposes, nevertheless, by employing slightly heavier materials, the same is also used as a house slipper. In th'e main, the slipper is formed from non-critical materials and may be manufactured under present day restrictions.

Various other advantages will be apparent from the preceding description, the drawing and the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is.

1. A slipper adapted for application to a Wide range of sizes and shapes of the human foot and comprising a fabric outsole, a fabric upper stitched to the marginal edges of said outsole, said upper embodying a counter and instep section and a vamp, the forward edges of the instep section being stitched to the rear portions of the vamp along the lower portions only of said edges, there being a hem having open ends around the top edges of the counter and instep section of the upper, said vamp being composed of overlapping extension elements which extend into the open ends of the hem, and a strip of elastic material positioned in said hem to extend around said counter and instep sections of the upper, the forward ends of said elastic strip being connected with rear terminating ends of said extension elements.

2. A slipper adapted for application to a wide range of sizes and shapes of the human foot, comprising a fabric outsole, a fabric upper stitched to the marginal edges of said outsole, said upper embodying a counter and instep section and a vamp, the forward edges of the instep section being stitched to the rear portions of the vamp along the lower portions only of said edges, a hem having open ends extending around the top edges of the counter and instep section of the upper, said vamp being gathered or shirred adjacent to its points of connection with said outsole, said vamp being provided with overlapping extension elements which extend into the open ends of the instep hem, and a strip of elastic material positioned in said hem to eX- tend around said counter and instep section of the upper, the forward ends of said elastic strip being connected with rear terminating ends of said extension elements.

CHARLES F. SCHULTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,268,967 Small Jan. 6, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date '798,628 France Mar. 10, 1936 

